are the majority of you flushing your own brake systems or simply letting the dealer do it to avoid the mess/hassle.im about to do spark plugs and brake system flush and just looking for a few opinions.thanks

 

Nothing extra special about the 220 hydraulic brake system. I'd do it myself. Standard warnings about not letting the MC run dry.

I'd consider a motive power bleeder.

 

I use motive power bleeder. Easy to use. Been using it for ~6+ years now.

 

thanks for the input,ill order the motive bleeder and diy it.i have about 60 days left in iraq and then i get back to the real world.im looking forward to pampering the benz,i enjoy wrenching on this car,it is the first benz that i have kept for this long and it is outside of warranty.

 

How often do you change your brake fluid guys?

 

every 3-5 years is more than fine. Many people leave it for the life of the car.

In the old days brake fluid was never flushed.

 

I thought the MB manual says every 2 years for brake fluid change.

 

2 years at a max. The MB brake fluid is Dot 4 Plus, which is hygroscopic.

Hence forth is absorbs water which lowers the boiling point of the fluid, and can also rust the pistons and possibly other parts of the brake system (MC, lines, etc).

Its not hard, do it every 2 years.

On my mustang and porsche I do it before every open track event, which can be as little as 2 weeks or as much as 3 months.

Brakes are the most important part of the car. treat them as such.

 

Every year.
I use either Motul RBF600 or ATE TYP200.

 

I generally do all such work myself but the last time I was at the stealer for some warranty work on my '02 CL500, I had them do the brake fluid flush as it was only $95 including the fluid. When you consider you have to purchase the bleeder and fluid, and then jack the car up and pull the rear wheels to do the job (unless you have access to a lift), $95 seems pretty cheap. Anyway, I generally flush the brake fluid in my cars every 2 years or so.

 

$95 is very reasonable, I thought it would be $300+ at MB Dealer Svc.

 

I was going to recommend MB as well

They did my C32 after every track event for $100, and the S for the same.

Just talk to the service rep, and explain to him you DO NOT want a service A, B, C or whatever, that you simply want your brake fluid changed. They have ALWAYS been reasonable with me, after you let them know you are NOT the average MB owner, aka you know something about a car other than P and D

 

thanks for all the input,the experience/expertise that is part of this forum is why i now own a MB outside warranty.$100 for the dealer to flush brakes could be one of the best bargains that they offer.im opting for doing it myself,allready ordered the bleeder and catch bottles for approx $90,i enjoy wrenching on MB's and do the best maintanance that im capable of performing.that is a quality that you have to want to do,you cant allways pay to get it.

 

theres a bay area MB dealership, Autobahn Mercedes that is offering $99 for brake AND coolant flush together! Thats an awesome price.

If your MB dealer will match other dealers coupons LMK and I can scan the coupon

 

Autobahn Motors is a great dealership. There's a master tech there that I used to know. I don't know if he's still there. Look for Steve, the German Master Tech. Great guy.

 

How many litters of brake fluid do you need to do the flush? anyone?

 

2 should do it with some to spare.

 

if you have 2 people, it's a 15 minute job. a little messy but not bad.

 

Is there any difference between Valvoline DOT4 and Pentosin Super DOT4?